The Undercover Vegetarian: Connie and Ted's

It's hardly surprising for a seafood restaurant to focus on seafood. But at Connie and Ted's, Michael Cimarusti's new upscale clam shack in West Hollywood (and the subject of this week's restaurant review) some concessions are made to the non-fish-eaters among us. For instance, there's a burger and steak on the menu. Is there a vegetarian entree, or any combination of appetizers that could be cobbled together to resemble a meal? No, and not really.

This isn't to say that a vegetarian diner would starve at Connie and Ted's, but I'm afraid the only real option for a full meal is the collection-of-sides route. Two asparagus appetizers -- one a salad and one au gratin -- are really the only meat-free starters. Both the non-asparagus salads on the menu include bacon, though they will leave it off the little gem salad if asked nicely.

From there, you really have to skip ahead to the sides section of the menu. Here you'll find fresh market vegetables, cooked plainly but well, wilted spinach that has a bacon option but is almost better without, onion rings, fingerling potatoes and french fries. The mac and cheese is the creamy type, hiding under a layer of herbed breadcrumbs.

And that's about it. Stated plainly, this is not a restaurant with vegetarians in mind. But the staff is also incredibly accommodating, and while they may not be able to deliver a magical vegan entree, something tells me they'd go pretty far to make sure everyone who walks through the door is fed well.